Dart wins to set up Rybakina meeting at Eastbourne

Britain's Harriet Dart overcame Marie Bouzkova in a topsy-turvy match to set up a second-round encounter with top seed Elena Rybakina at Eastbourne.

Roared on by a partisan home crowd, Dart fought back from a double break down in both the first and second set before wrapping up a 7-5 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 victory in nearly three and a half hours.

It is Dart's best win of the year by ranking, with the 27-year-old wildcard ranked 68 places below Czech Bouzkova.

She will face former Wimbledon champion and world number four Rybakina, who received a bye in the first round, on Wednesday.

"It was an incredible match, so many ups and downs," said Dart, who revealed she was struggling with wisdom tooth pain throughout the match.

"Marie's an incredible fighter and always makes it tough. I'm very happy that it turned my way this time."

With the hot sun beaming down on Eastboure's centre court, it looked like it would be a difficult afternoon for Dart after falling a double break down early on.

But the British number two rallied to level the set at 4-4 before breaking again to snatch the opener.

Again, Dart found herself trailing 4-1 in the second set before launching another comeback as Bouzkova, a quarter-finalist at Wimbledon in 2022, faltered once more.

The world number 37 held firm to force a tie-break, and while Dart saved three set points, a wayward forehand handed Bouzkova the set.

The pair traded breaks at the start of the decider before Dart broke again, an advantage she would never relinquish as she served out the match at the first opportunity.

Dart is one of four British players in the women's singles draw at Eastbourne this week, with Katie Boulter, Emma Raducanu, and Lily Miyazaki in action on Tuesday.

Earlier, Billy Harris moved past fellow British wildcard Jacob Fearnley with a 6-4 7-6 (9-7) victory.

It continues a positive grass-court season for the 29-year-old, who moved inside the world's top 150 after reaching his first ATP Tour quarter-final last week at Queen's.

He will face the newly-crowned Queen's champion Tommy Paul next, with the American second seed receiving a bye in the first round.

Harris and Fearnley will make their Grand Slam debuts this summer after they received wildcards for the main draw at Wimbledon, which starts on 1 July.